'Breakaway' details NHL's influx of Eastern Europeans

The stories revealed by Tal Pinchevsky in his debut book "Breakaway" recount the emotions -- both high and low -- and bravery of so many athletes who put themselves and the livelihoods of their own family members on the line to change the course of history and hockey all at once.
In "Breakaway," Pinchevsky, a staff writer for NHL.com, details the clandestine movements by a few Eastern European players who opened the door to North America and the National Hockey League that so many have walked through since.
The book recounts how players from Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union literally broke away from the Cold War and found freedom in North America -- and a hockey community that welcomed them, their families and their unique talents with open arms and checkbooks.